Essay On Mary Shadd Cary

In Canadian history, there is little mention of the influential writers of Afro-Caribbean ancestry who have significantly contributed to shaping our country’s diverse heritage and identity. Even sparser in discussion are Black Canadian women who have challenged how we perceive gender, fiction and race. Mary Ann Shadd Cary was one of these women, for she broke down insurmountable barriers for female writers of colour in North America. For young, black female writers, Shadd and other great writers are role models as pioneers in the craft, brave women who wielded their pens like swords; they cut through the throes of discrimination and oppression with defiance and boldness in their written works.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was born in Delaware in 1853 to abolitionist parents and was educated by Quakers in Pennsylvania.[1] Although she was born an American, her contributions to Canadian society led to
As a feminist, abolitionist, writer, educator, and lawyer, she improved the lives of countless people. And as a trailblazer in her craft, Shadd conveyed her experiences as a Black woman with passion, grace, and fearlessness. Inexorably, she continues to empower the Black community in Canada, for she demonstrated through her achievements that race and gender cannot define an individual. Shadd dreamt of a Canada devoid of racial divide. She pursued this through her writing—empowering the Black community about social justice, and relentlessly fighting for women’s rights.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s contributions to Canada sparked my interest in writing as a young child, and learning about her enabled me to dream with courage. I was inspired to write too, and in the sixth grade I wrote my first novel, and I haven’t stopped since. I continue to write because I am inspired by women like Mary Ann Shadd Cary to believe in the power of words—which can change